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Saturday, March 15, 2014

Global Peak - 9 of Clubs - March 15, 2014

On a lovely, sunny and somewhat windy Sunday in March we set out to conquer Global Peak: a longish, challenging peak located in the southern part of Red Rock.

The hike started out in exciting fashion when we encountered this little desert tortoise friend. He (or she, I have no idea) wasn't feeling very friendly and stayed burrowed in his/her shell while we stood around and gawked. It was the first time I had seen one and I was pretty excited. These guys are so fascinating to me; they live to be 50-80 years old!!

After that excitement, we continued along our way through a fairly long wash until we got to the scrambling. It was a bit brushy, which resulted in quite a few scratches on my legs.

After you start scrambling, you gain some decent elevation pretty quickly. Although exhausting, this quick ascent can make for some dramatic pictures.

About half to two-thirds up the hike, it gets a bit more challenging, beginning with a rope climb.

Climb that rope

Husband action shot

There were also a few ledges that don't look bad in the pictures, but I remember being a bit freaked out by them.

The amazing thing about my friends is that we are all out on the hike because of our love of fitness and nature. Most of the people on this hike didn't even need the 9 of Clubs that you get for completing this peak. In fact, at least three of the people on this hike were already 53ers (they had already completed all 52 peaks) long before this day.

My husband is able to hike with me less than half of the time, so we like to get pictures together when possible. Plus, the backdrop is so amazing to me!

On our way down, we realized that we had inadvertently done a remarkable job at coordinating our outfits so we could create a lovely rainbow!! Rainbow is my favorite color!!

Finally, just a note that when you're down climbing something that seemed so doable on the way up, sometimes you just feel more comfortable scooting down the sandstone on your butt. If you choose this course, which I often do, tearing pants is just a risk you have to accept at that point.

Seriously, my friend Richard used to go through about a pair of pants every weekend until he started getting kevlar patches sewn on the backs of his pants. I'm not even joking. **kevlar, the stuff tout of which bullet-proof vests are made**

This was kind of a quick post, but if I'm being honest, the hike wasn't super memorable. I'd probably do it again if my friends were going to be out there because I like spending time with them. At the same time, there are other hikes (like Rainbow, Pine Creek, Turtlehead Jr., Oak Creek Overlook, etc.) that I'd much rather do.